


Sixty Seconds

by orphan_account



Category: Death Note
Genre: F/M, Introspection, One-Sided Relationship, takes place during the time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 07:12:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5488379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>... "if you only had one minute left to live, and you had the death note in front of you, whose name would you write in it?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sixty Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> This is un-Beta'd, so my apologies for any typos. I'm pretty rusty at fic writing so this is probably not my best work, just an advance warning.

"Hey, Light," Misa started, pulling insistently on his shirt sleeve. She peered over his shoulder, curious to see what had him so enraptured. The screen of his computer displayed a do-it-yourself tutorial for a home-made time bomb. Misa's face crinkled in what she imagined to be a very unattractive way, and catching sight of a dim reflection of herself in Light's screen she quickly relaxed her face. Light didn't notice.

"What is it?" He replied, clearly bothered by her sudden interruption if his condescending undertone was any indication. Misa caught herself before she made the face again - wrinkles were gross. And what was so important about a time bomb anyway?

Ignoring his exasperation, Misa continued. After all, he could do research any day couldn't he? It was the Golden Age of Kira - L was dead, and Light had the Task Force running off on wild goose chase after wild goose chase. If he needed to know how to build a bomb so badly, it could wait… couldn't it? A nagging voice in the back of her mind said Misa's question could _also_ wait, and that Light's work was far more important. Misa ignored the voice in favor of her sating bubbling eagerness to hear Light's response.

"Light," Misa continued, pulling her hand away from his arm, "if you only had one minute left to live, and you had the death note in front of you, whose name would you write in it?"

Light sighed in annoyance again, and Misa resisted the urge to slap herself in the face. _That was a stupid question, dumbass. It was no better than the rest of your ridiculous ideas. He's never going to think you're smart or interesting._ Misa kept the expectant smile plastered on her face and Light contemplated a response.

"Well, I'm assuming I have a writing utensil too, yeah? And then the question is, am I being murdered or am I just dying? If I'm just dying, how do I know? Did Ryuk tell me? Thanks Ryuk," he added sarcastically, casting a sidelong glance at the figure hovering in the corner. Misa felt herself stiffen - somehow she always managed to forget that he was there, watching all their interactions. How unromantic. "If I'm being killed, I'd make the trade… no wait, that would shorten how long I had left to live by thirty seconds, and then I wouldn't have enough time. Well, then I'd hope I knew my killer's name and kill him," Light mused. "If I'm just dying… then…" He was just humoring her, Misa knew. Just playing her game as quickly as he could so he could go back to doing things actually worth his time. But the fact he was playing at all made Misa happy enough. Even a few minutes' attention from Light was enough… right?

"Well, maybe I wouldn't write anyone's name down. Unless a new criminal was announced somewhere that was quickly accessible to me, I wouldn't need to. Of course, I wouldn't be dying like that. I wouldn't be dying at all." The way his voice caught on the word "dying" was barely perceptible - in fact, it wouldn't be noticeable at all to someone who played prey to any of Light's cool, level-headed facades, whether it be as a college student, as Kira, as a task force investigator, or as a son or brother. Misa, not for the first time, pretended she didn't hear the way his voice shook ever so-slightly, pretended she wasn't privy to Light's negating fear of death. Sometimes, lying awake in bed at night, she wondered if that was one of the reasons he kept her around. The fact that she knew too much was fixable, but the fact that she was willing to cut her lifespan in half again and again, willing to give up her life for him… that could perhaps be some sort of a comfort. Another roadblock between Light and death, despite the fact that death itself followed him wherever he went in the form of a bug-eyed god.

She found that reminding him of this fact often seemed to distract him, if done so in a way that masked her insight, even if she knew that he knew that she knew.

"Don't worry, Light," she chirped. "I'd die for you any day. If I only had a minute left I'd write down the names of anyone who wanted to hurt you!" She beamed, resting her chin on Light's shoulder.

"Actually, now that you mentioned it… I guess if I only had a minute left I could always kill you, couldn't I? I'd have to make sure no one took credit for my actions after I was gone." Light's expression had changed from poker-faced to mildly amused, at himself presumably. He was teasing her, she knew, but he was also testing her. Nothing out of the ordinary for Kira.

Pouting, Misa replied in a drawn-out whine. "Liiiiiiiight! I wouldn't ever do that, you know. I'd never take credit for all your great work! I want _you_ to get all the recognition… I'm happy enough knowing that you let me play a part at all!" The corners of Misa's mouth drew up from that of a pout and her eyes widened in curiosity. "Oh! But how would you do it though? Would you torture me? Would you have me kill myself?" She looked up into Light's eyes, her own shining in expectation.

"Probably just a simple heart attack would do, if we're being practical. There's no point in hiding that I'm Kira anymore in that situation, and I wouldn't have the time to write down any means of an intricate death." Light replied somberly, and sighed.

Misa puffed out a breath of air, making her bangs flip upward for half of a second before settling back down on her forehead. "Come on! Forget the sixty seconds, am I just another criminal to you? Dying of a heart attack would be sooooooo boring. I'm sure you can think of something more creative, Light! The world is at your disposal after all."

"Aren't you a little _too_ into this self-sacrifice thing?" Light muttered under his breath, not quiet enough for Misa not to hear, however, at the close vicinity she was at.

"Well, it'd get me a lot of attention wouldn't it? From you, from anyone who knew, maybe even from the world! And it'd be awfully romantic too, right? The final testament to my love for you!" Raising herself off the chair slightly, Misa leaned over and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. The faintest traces of red lipstick lingered on his skin, only visible at the right angle in the closest proximity.

"You already have the world's attention don't you? You have your own clothing line, your own perfumes, you've starred in several movies and countless commercials. Everyone knows who you are, isn't that enough?"Light exhaled, massaging the place Misa had kissed only moments prior with the pads of his finger tips, his brow creasing in exasperation once again.

"Yeah… but it's different. My fashion, my fragrances, my films… what do they mean? What will they mean in ten years, twenty, even thirty? I'm not going to be alive by then to find out, so I want my death to mean something. Famous people with spectacular deaths live on longer, don't you think?" The small voice Misa spoke in suddenly seemed more befitting of her small body and fragile figure than the passionate voices she usually spoke in, almost as if she had drawn in on herself. It seemed befitting of a girl who was not afraid of death, but of what came after - not in heaven or hell, or anything in between, butin the world she had once existed in.

Light opened his mouth to respond, but Misa rushed on, the words tumbling out of her mouth as if the dam that had been holding them back had finally broken.

"When… When I was younger, really young, like seven or eight, you know? I was really loud, and I raised my hand in school every chance I got, and I got the answer wrong most of the time, but that was okay, because you know, you learn from mistakes and I was having a good time and I wanted to participate. But kids started making fun of me - it started with the usual 'she thinks she's smart' and 'you'd think she was blonde with a brain like that.' Laughing ruefully, she pulledAndon one of her now blonde pigtails. "And then… then this guy, he told me one day that 'pretty girls like you should just keep your mouths shut.' And I believed it, you know? He wasn't the only one, but he was the first. I stopped raising my hand in class, I started paying close attention to the fashion trends and what I wore. And I was better at it! I was better atpicking out what to wear and looking pretty than being smart. When I got older, I was better at flirting and socializing than studying. I got more attention from it, too - people loved me! My parents, they were so supportive when I started modeling and acting and everything, They said I had natural talent. Everyone said I was born to be in the spotlight.

"I really did grow to love it, it really does seem like I was born to be an idol I guess!" Finally, Misa breathed in deeply, having talked for at least a minute without taking one. The pitch of her voice and the tempo of her words had risen as she rambled, making her words sound vaguely reminiscent of a drunkard. The gleam in her eyes radiated anger as she continued. "That guy - the one that told me that pretty girls like me should just be quiet - I dated him! For three months in my second year of junior high, I dated that bastard. Want to know what he told me? He told me he had had a crush on me ever since I stopped pretending I was smart. I was really flattered at the time - really pleased that his advice had worked so well he had started liking me himself! But now… but now… well it doesn't matter anyway. Did you know he's dead?"

Light's eyes widened, his brows raising in confusion. "Was he a criminal?"

In between hysterical laughter, Misa responded. "You could say that! He was the stalker that tried to kill me!" Exclaiming this, she threw her arms around Light's neck and nuzzled her forehead against his. Wide, light brown eyes peering into his own darker ones, she whispered "if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have you!" Misa pressed her lips against Light's hard and possessively in comparison to the feeble kiss he reciprocated with. Long used to this, Misa didn't think anything of the fact. When she pulled back, she looked into his eyes again. - her pupils dilated, his as normal as ever. She didn't pay attention to this fact either, though it registered somewhere in the back of her mind.

"Although, I guess if he was still alive, and I still had a death note somehow, and there was only sixty seconds left for me to live…" A mischievous smirk crossed her face as she murmured "I'd kill _him_."


End file.
